BRITAIN'S borrowing has fallen sharply which means imminent spending cuts could be less severe than feared.

The better than expected figures on the UK's finances are a large boost to George Osborne, who is to give an emergency summer Budget in just six weeks time.

Borrowing - excluding the effect of bank bailouts - was £6.8 billion in April, £2.5 billion lower than in the same month last year, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Public finances were bolstered by bumper VAT receipts, as well as drop in the amount spent on benefits.

It was the first set of monthly borrowing figures for the 2015/16 fiscal year as Mr Osborne targets a further reduction in the annual deficit.

The Chancellor is to deliver his first all-Tory Budget, following the party's election victory, on July 8.

Martin Beck, senior economic advisor to the EY ITEM Club, said: "As it stands, it is not implausible that the Budget on July 8 will see a cut in the deficit forecast.

"This would certainly make life easier for the Chancellor in juggling his ambitions to achieve a Budget surplus by the end of the Parliament, while meeting the various tax and spending commitments made during the election campaign.

"All in all, it is looking like the most favourable backdrop to a Budget since 2007."

Today's figures showing a year-on-year fall of 27 per cent in monthly borrowing was comfortably ahead of the 14 per cent pencilled in for the financial year ahead by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).

The OBR sees borrowing reduced to £75.3 billion for 2015/16. Revised figures show it was £87.7 billion in 2014/15, slightly higher than the initial estimate of £87.3 billion though still undershooting its target.

April's figures were helped by VAT receipts of £10.6 billion, up 3.4 per cent year-on-year and the highest figure for April since records began in 1997.

Debt interest payments for the month were 7 per cent, or £400 million, lower as the cost of servicing inflation-linked bond debt fell, with inflation at record lows.

Income tax-related receipts rose 3.7 per cent to 11.6 billion while spending on net social benefits fell 1.1 per cent to £16.7 billion. An expenditure category mainly including departmental spending was 10 per cent, or £4.1 billion, lower at £36.8 billion.

Underlying debt at £1.488 trillion was up from £1.484 trillion in March but as a proportion of gross domestic product (GDP) was flat at 80.4 per cent. In April last year the debt was £1.404 trillion, or 78.9 per cent of GDP.